Rat Wetness Response: Sensory Cues, Behavior & Fur-based Drying.

ABSTRACT: It never rains in standard lab-confinements; thus we have limited understanding of animal reactions to water and wetness. To address this issue, we sprayed water on different body parts of rats and measured drying and fur temperature by thermal imaging while manipulating behavior, sensory cues and fur. Spraying water on rats resulted in fur changes (hair clumping, apex formation), grooming, shaking, and scratching. Anesthesia abolished behavioral responses, interfered with fur changes, and slowed drying. Spraying water on different body parts resulted in differential behavioral drying responses. Spraying the head resulted in grooming and shaking responses; water evaporated twice as fast as water sprayed on the animal's back or belly. We observed no effect of whisker removal on post-water-s

SUBMITTER: Attah AT 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10515844 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature